HSK 3.0 Word Lists: What Actually Changed (2026 Data Guide)

By the Laoshi team. Laoshi is a Chinese-learning app, and it is ours.

Last updated: October 2026. Word counts taken from the official list on 27 October 2026.

The short version: three HSK word lists are in circulation, and only one of them is tested at the first official HSK 3.0 sitting on 13 December 2026 (official notice, in Chinese). That one is the exam syllabus published in November 2025. It has 300 words at HSK 1, not the 500 you still see quoted on many sites, and about 11,000 words across all nine levels.

The other two are the old HSK 2.0 (six levels, 5,000 words at the top) and the 2021 HSK 3.0 standard. The 2021 standard is still the official framework behind the new exam, but its word list is not the one the exam tests.

HSK word counts at a glance

Cumulative totals, each level including all levels below it. The last column is our own count of the official word list that the test operator, Chinese Testing International, publishes on chinesetest.cn.

Sources: HSK 2.0 and both HSK 3.0 columns as compiled by Mandarin Zone and Mandarin Zone's old-vs-new comparison; syllabus totals also in CLI. Official list counted by us on 27 October 2026.

Two things to notice. The syllabus numbers are round targets, and the list itself runs a little over them: 504 words by HSK 2, 11,104 entries in total. And 11,104 is entries, not distinct words. Some words are listed once per part of speech. Merge those and you get 10,940 entries, the same figure Mandarin Zone reports.

The list also records when a word gains a use. 半 (bàn, half) is an HSK 1 numeral, but the entry is marked 一级（四级）: its adverb use belongs to HSK 4. 多 (duō, many) is HSK 1, with its numeral and adverb uses at HSK 2. A flashcard deck that stores one level per word cannot show this.

Three lists, one exam

HSK 2.0 is the exam most learners know: six levels, 5,000 words at HSK 6.

The 2021 standard, Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education (GF0025-2021), came from China's Ministry of Education and State Language Commission and took effect on 1 July 2021. It set up three bands and nine levels, measured on syllables, characters, vocabulary and grammar (standard text). Its word list is where "HSK 1 = 500 words" and "11,092 words" come from.

The exam syllabus came out in November 2025 from the Center for Language Education and Cooperation. It runs to 406 pages and keeps the nine-level frame, but cuts the lower levels hard: HSK 1 from 500 words to 300, HSK 3 from 2,245 to 1,000, HSK 5 from 4,316 to 3,600. The top end barely moves. The test operator links the current PDF from its home page (syllabus PDF).

So, a rule of thumb: if a website, app or book says HSK 1 has 500 words, it is working from the 2021 list.

Same word, different level

Here is what the reshuffle looks like word by word. Exam levels come from the official list; old HSK 2.0 and 2021 levels from the open-source complete-hsk-vocabulary dataset.

• 网站 (wǎngzhàn, website): HSK 4 in the old exam, HSK 2 in the 2021 standard, HSK 3 in the exam syllabus.
• 直播 (zhíbō, live stream): old HSK 6, then HSK 3 in 2021, now HSK 5.
• 手机 (shǒujī, mobile phone): old HSK 2, now HSK 1 in both new lists.
• 打车 (dǎchē, take a taxi): not in the old exam; HSK 1 in 2021; HSK 2 in the syllabus.
• 奶茶 (nǎichá, milk tea): not in the old exam; HSK 3 in 2021; HSK 2 in the syllabus.
• 支付 (zhīfù, to pay): not in the old exam; HSK 3 in 2021; HSK 4 in the syllabus.

The list has also caught up with daily life in China. On the exam list, 外卖 (wàimài, takeaway) and 高铁 (gāotiě, high-speed rail) are HSK 3. 扫码 (sǎomǎ, scan a QR code) and 网购 (wǎnggòu, online shopping) are HSK 4. 二维码 (QR code), 点赞 (to like a post), 电商 (e-commerce) and 充值 (top up) are HSK 5. 民宿 (mínsù, guesthouse) is HSK 6.

How much of the old vocabulary carries over?

About half, level for level. Mandarin Zone matched 4,991 old HSK entries against the 10,940 entries of the 2025 syllabus and found 47–59% same-level overlap (analysis). Each new level has 30–47% words that appear nowhere in the old exam. Even the new HSK 1 has 91 of them.

The comparison that surprises people: an old HSK 4 vocabulary covers 62% of the new HSK 3 but only 55% of the new HSK 4. If you passed HSK 4 under the old system, you are closer to the new HSK 3 than to the new HSK 4.

This is Mandarin Zone's own work, not official data, and about 3.7% of entries (186) were still being checked when it was published. It is the only comparison we found against the 2025 syllabus that explains its method.

Characters: one list to read, a shorter one to write

HSK 3.0 splits characters into those you must recognise (认读字) and those you must write by hand (书写字). The handwriting list is much shorter. Per Mandarin Zone's count of the syllabus, it reaches 101 characters by HSK 1–2, 252 by HSK 3, 403 by HSK 4, 554 by HSK 5, 705 by HSK 6 and 1,208 by HSK 7–9, against about 3,100 characters to recognise (Mandarin Zone). Other guides round these to 100, 250 and so on up to 1,200.

In practice this means an HSK 3 candidate should read about 660 characters but only needs to produce about 250 of them with a pen.

What else changed besides the word lists

Speaking is part of the exam from HSK 3. HSK 1 and 2 have no speaking test. From HSK 3 to 6 each level has its own, about 15 minutes at HSK 3, 20 at HSK 4 and 23 at HSK 5 and 6, preparation included (CLI). In both 2026 pilot sittings, levels 3 to 6 had to be booked together with the matching speaking test (Beijing municipal government). The December notice does not say whether that rule continues.

HSK 7–9 is one exam. The operator's page lists 98 items, 67 objective and 31 subjective, in about 210 minutes, internet-based only. Results come as HSK 7, 8, 9 or below 7 (chinesetest.cn). CLI notes that the newer HSK 3.0 sample paper has 91 questions and about 200 minutes, so expect small changes.

Translation is tested for the first time, at HSK 7–9 only: four items, about 41 minutes, translating into Chinese in writing and aloud (chinesetest.cn). Neither CLI nor the official notices we read mention a translation section at HSK 1–6.

Timeline: where the rollout stands

• 1 July 2021: GF0025-2021 takes effect (archived standard).
• 26 November 2022: first worldwide HSK 7–9 exam (The Beijinger).
• November 2025: HSK 3.0 exam syllabus published (CLI).
• 31 January 2026: first pilot sitting of HSK 3.0 levels 1–6, with test centres in 168 countries (Beijing municipal government).
• 20 September 2026: second pilot sitting (CLI).
• 7 November 2026: last regular HSK 2.0 date on the operator's 2026 calendar, per CLI. Some centres run their own later HSK 2.0 sittings.
• 22 November 2026: last HSK 7–9 date of the year, internet-based (CLI).
• 13 December 2026: first official HSK 3.0 sitting. Registration closes 16 November (paper) and 3 December (internet-based), Beijing time (official notice).

Earlier this year many guides gave July 2026 as the switch date. It was not: regular sittings stayed on HSK 2.0 through the autumn. The official December notice says nothing about HSK 2.0 sittings in 2027, so check chinesetest.cn before you book anything next year.

How to check whether your book or deck is out of date

1. HSK 1 has 150 words? That is HSK 2.0.
2. HSK 1 has 500 words, or HSK 3 has 2,245? That is the 2021 standard. The exam uses 300 and 1,000.
3. Levels 7, 8 and 9 as three separate word lists? The exam treats them as one band.
4. No split between characters to read and characters to write? It predates HSK 3.0.
5. Spot-check three words. On the exam list, 打车 is HSK 2, 外卖 is HSK 3 and 扫码 is HSK 4. If your deck has 打车 at HSK 1, it follows the 2021 list. If 扫码 is missing, it is older still.

Failing these checks does not make the material useless. About half of the old vocabulary sits at the same level on the new list, and every word you know still helps you read. Just add the missing words from the exam list before 13 December.

Where Laoshi fits

We make Laoshi, so read this part as what it is.

Laoshi's HSK 3.0 decks follow the official exam vocabulary published on chinesetest.cn, including the 7–9 band, with HSK 2.0 lists kept alongside for anyone mid-transition. Next to them sit ready-made decks for every major Chinese textbook, such as HSK Standard Course, chapter by chapter, so you can keep studying from the book you own and layer the new lists on top. You can import existing decks from Anki, Quizlet or Pleco instead of rebuilding them, or make your own lists. It checks pronunciation with two separate scores, one for sounds and one for tones. Its character writing practice gives stroke hints, one tap for the next stroke and a double tap for the whole character, on any list, including your own.

Run the five checks above on our app too. They work on any material, ours included.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many words are in HSK 3.0?

About 11,000 across all nine levels, per the November 2025 exam syllabus. The official list counted on 27 October 2026 has 11,104 entries, or 10,940 once repeated listings for different parts of speech are merged. The figure of 11,092 comes from the 2021 standard.

How many words do I need for HSK 1?

300, per the exam syllabus and the official list. Sites that say 500 are quoting the 2021 standard.

Is my old HSK vocabulary wasted?

No. Same-level overlap between the old lists and the 2025 syllabus is 47–59%, by Mandarin Zone's count. An old HSK 4 vocabulary covers 62% of the new HSK 3 and 55% of the new HSK 4. Fill the gaps rather than start again.

When does HSK 3.0 replace the old HSK?

The first official HSK 3.0 sitting is on 13 December 2026. Pilot sittings ran on 31 January and 20 September 2026, and regular 2026 sittings before December used HSK 2.0.

Do I have to handwrite characters for HSK 3.0?

Yes, from the first level. The handwriting list is about 100 characters at HSK 1–2 and about 1,200 by HSK 7–9, far shorter than the list of characters you must recognise.

Is there a speaking test in HSK 3.0?

From HSK 3 up, yes. Each of HSK 3 to 6 has a matching speaking test of roughly 15 to 23 minutes, and HSK 7–9 includes speaking inside the single exam. HSK 1 and 2 have none.

Cite this article

Method: per-level counts in the last table column come from the official HSK 3.0 word list served by chinesetest.cn, which we downloaded and counted on 27 October 2026. Other numbers trace either to official documents (GF0025-2021, the November 2025 exam syllabus, chinesetest.cn exam pages, the December 2026 sitting notice) or to the linked secondary sources, which are named next to each figure. Old and 2021 levels for individual words come from the open-source complete-hsk-vocabulary dataset. When you cite a word count, say which list it comes from: the 2021 standard and the 2025 exam syllabus differ, and mixing them up is the most common error in HSK 3.0 coverage.